Beyond Six Weeks: Building a Stronger Postpartum Experience
I recently met with the Upper Arlington/Hilliard leader of Fit4Mom and I was invited to be a guest blogger during their Month of Mama events. Here’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my thoughts around the postpartum experience in this country. Those who know me, know that this topic gets me fired up and I could go on and on about it for a WHILE!
We’ve all heard it: "You’re cleared at six weeks!"
But here's the truth—healing, adjusting, and finding your footing as a new parent doesn’t neatly wrap up at the six-week mark. Not even close.
Postpartum is not a sprint; it’s a slow, winding marathon that deserves patience, support, and realistic expectations. Physically, your body is still recovering from pregnancy and birth (regardless of how your baby entered the world). Emotionally and mentally, you’re adjusting to a completely new rhythm—and sometimes a completely new identity.
Postpartum recovery isn’t one appointment on the calendar. It’s a sacred season that deserves space, grace, and good support.
A more realistic timeframe for postpartum healing and adjustment is six months, not six weeks.
Some parents feel stronger sooner, and some need even longer, and all of it is normal. Muscles, joints, hormones, emotional health, sleep patterns, your entire sense of self—it’s all still recalibrating long after the six-week "green light" from your provider. Healing isn’t linear. It’s full of stops, starts, and surprises.
In my private childbirth education classes and one-on-one doula support, I bring over a decade of experience helping families prepare for both birth and the crucial early months of parenthood. Together, we create postpartum care plans, set realistic expectations for recovery, map out support networks, and talk honestly about what's normal—and what deserves extra attention. After supporting hundreds of families through this life-changing transition, I know good preparation can make all the difference. You don’t have to figure it all out in real time while exhausted and overwhelmed.
Through private classes and my self-paced online childbirth course, I help parents-to-be prepare not just for labor, but for the life-changing weeks and months that follow.
If you're expecting and want to walk into both birth and postpartum feeling informed and equipped, I'd love to connect with you. You don’t have to figure it out alone.
